Cambodia and Thailand relations

Lwin Lwin Aung, 2016, IUJ

Introduction

            In the past three decades, the relationships between Cambodia and Thailand sometime are good and bad due to domestic politics of these two counties and the border and the Preah Vihear temple issues between them. Cambodia and Thailand are situated in Southeast Asia region and ASEAN member countries. These two countries are neighboring countries and also ASEAN member countries. The purpose of this paper is to understand the relationship between Cambodia and Thailand since 1953. This paper cannot provide information of historical events before 1950s. Instead, it focuses on the significant events after post-World War II era. In 1953, Cambodia gained independence from France. After getting Cambodia’s independence, Cambodia firstly started the diplomatic relations with Thailand. And also, Thailand was the first country to recognize Cambodia as an independence state.

History of Cambodia-Thailand relations

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Cambodia and Thailand relations had been strained because Thailand and Vietnam began to actively support anti-Sihanouk groups. Sihanouk was King of Cambodia from 1941 to 1955 and served as Prime Minister from 1993 to 2004[1]. In 1954, Thai troops occupied the Preah Vihear temple. In 1958, Cambodia recognized China because China was a communist country and supported other communist countries. Therefore, Thailand believed that the communist system grew in Cambodia. In November, Cambodia broke diplomatic relations with Thailand. In 1959, Cambodia took the border issue to the international court of Justice (ICJ) for resolving the Preah Vihear and border dispute between them[2]. In 1962, ICJ decided that the temple belonged to Cambodia and Thai troops leaved the temple and its surrounding areas. Cambodia finally restored its diplomatic relations with Thailand, in March 1970.

In 1970, Cambodia proclaimed the Khmer Republic that pursued pro-Western and anti-Vietnamese-communist policies. Between 1970 and 1973, the relations between two countries become cooperative that Thailand provided Cambodian military by providing technical advisers and logistic support as clothing, patrol boats, and equipment kits for about 50,000 soldiers. By late 1973, the cooperation between the Khmer Republic and Thailand had slowed because students protested the military and then elected new civilian government in Thailand. In 1975, Khmer Rouge controlled to lost many parts of the country and then Cambodia was taken over by the communists. Although Thai civilian government was not anticommunist, the relations between Thailand and Khmer Rouge were not stained.

In 1977, the border conflicts between the Thai army and the Khmer Rouge occurred again in the context of two hostile regimes harboring different interests and ideologies. In 1978, Vietnam invaded the Khmer Rouge and Vietnamese troops reach Phnom Penh on January 1979. Therefore, Khmer Rouge leaders escaped to the Thai border and the factions of Khmer resistance formed along the Thai border. These factions were supported by China’s military aids and U.S. financial support. At that time, Thailand was the hub for China and U.S. to support the factions of Khmer resistance. Consequently, in that time, the relations between Thailand and Khmer Rouge was less strained because Thailand supported and provided the Khmer resistance factions.

In early 1980s, the representatives of Khmer Rouge took Vietnam to the United Nations. The United State and its alliances decided economic sanctions to Vietnam. In October 1991, the Paris Peace Agreement was signed by 18 other major powers and countries (including Thailand). According to the Paris Peace agreement, Vietnam withdrew its troops from Cambodia. During 1990s, Thailand government allowed its businesses that directly invested in Cambodia. Thailand and Cambodia were more interested in foreign direct investment and border trade.

In 1997, the Asian Financial Crisis started in Thailand. The impact of crisis was the rise of Thaksin Shinawatra administration in Thailand. The relations between the Prime Minister of Cambodia (Hun Sen) and the Prime Minister of Thailand (Thaksin) were amicable in political and economic cooperation. In 2006, the military coup occurred in Thailand and Thaksin was ousted from power. Thaksin applied Cambodia to asylum and Cambodia permitted Thaksin in living its country. Thus, Thaksin served as economic adviser in Cambodia. In 2008, Cambodia applied for the Preah Vihear Temple in the World Heritage list drawn up by the UNESCO. After successfully listing the Preah Vihear temple in the World heritage list, Thailand wanted to remove this temple from World Heritage list. Thai military troops deployed near the temple and the dispute border areas. Therefore, the relationship between Thailand and Cambodia was more strained. Since late 2011, the relations between them were more amicable after restoring of diplomatic relations.

Developments of Cambodia-Thailand relations

The bilateral cooperation has been developed to strengthen the relationships between Thailand and Cambodia. In economic cooperation, a Cambodia-Thai trade relation has been improved on 1990s. Recent statistics show that the bilateral trade reached USD 445 million dollars in 2002 and its reached USD 1 billion in 2006[3]. Border trade has been promoted by two countries. Thailand exported their products such as agro-industrial products, motor vehicles and parts, motor cars, beverages, electrical equipment and parts, etc. Cambodia exports their products such as leather, steel and minerals, wood and wood products, electric machinery, fishery products and livestock, etc. There are nearly 400 Thai businesses investing in hotels, restaurants, banks, tourism and telecommunications in Cambodia. Moreover, Cambodia and Thailand agreed to build an industrial zone to promote trade and investment between them.  

In educational cooperation, Thailand and Cambodia signed a Memorandum of Understanding in the promotion of education system between them. Thailand supports Cambodian with technical assistant, medical and health care for education and human resource development. According to Memorandum of Understanding between Thailand and Cambodia, Thailand supports the scholarship program for students, exchanges materials and information of education and connects the linkage of schools and institutes between them. Since 2010, the electricity consumption of Thailand had increased its production. Therefore, Thailand is willing to invest in power line construction with its neighboring countries such as Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia. In December 2015, the meeting between Thailand and Cambodia has boosted bilateral relations.

Challenges in relations of Cambodia and Thailand

Cambodia’s foreign policy cannot be divorced from its domestic politics or from its geopolitical vulnerability. Under French colonial control, the King of Siam (Thailand) and the President of French Republic signed Franco-Siamese Convention of 1904 and Treaty of 1907. According to 1904 agreement, Siam agreed to give up four provinces to France. And also, France returned to give two provinces to Siam. These two provinces had been occupied by France at that time. In 1907, France mapped the Siam-Cambodia border under the agreement of Siam and France.

Thereafter, Siam discovered the error when they made their own survey in the 1930s. On other hand, Thailand thinks that Preah Vihear temple is theirs because the stairway for climbing to the temple is at the Thai side. Therefore, Thailand occupied the Preah Vihear temple and its military troops deployed the border areas and the temple surrounding areas in 1954. Cambodia requested the International Court of Justice for solving this conflict in 1959. Cambodia wanted to regain the temple and border areas from Thailand. Firstly, the court gave an instruction to both countries for removing their troops from conflict areas. In 1962, ICJ decided a judgment for border conflicts and the temple that the temple occupied by Cambodia. But, ICJ did not give a decision for conflicts areas between them.

In 2008, Cambodia requested the temple to the World Heritage List that drawn up by the UNESCO. After successfully listing the Preah Vihear temple in the World Heritage List, Thailand wanted to remove this temple from World Heritage list. Thai military troops deployed near the temple and the dispute border areas. Cambodia requested a letter to the United Nation Security Council (UNSC) that resolving the border conflict between Cambodia and Thailand. On 14 February 2011, UNSC President released a statement that the two countries must make a permanent ceasefire in the conflict areas and tried to solve with the peacefully through dialogue. And also, UNSC President encouraged these countries to cooperation with ASEAN.

Therefore, Cambodia requested ASEAN to provide good offices, conciliation and mediation for conflicts within them. In February 2011, the chair of ASEAN sent an observer team to conflicts areas. Cambodia accepted to deploy observers but there was an election in Thailand. So, Thailand claimed that it would be difficult to go the border. In 2013, the court reaffirmed its first ruling that the temple is situated under Cambodia administration. The border conflict will make the negative impacts to the bilateral cooperation between them. Moreover, the tension between Thailand and Cambodia has threatened peace and stability in the Southeast Asian region.

Conclusion

Since 1950, the Thailand-Cambodia diplomatic relations shifted simply the change of domestic politics and international balances of power. The positive relations were the result that was similar types of regime, shared interests and security strategies. The change of regime in two countries trended to get negative relations between them. In these years, Cambodia-Thailand relations have seen tremendous improvement. Economic cooperation between two countries has expanded rapidly into other areas. Bilateral trade continues to increase with positive impact on mutual perceptions. Despite these improvements, the future course of Thailand-Cambodia relations will continues to be subject to Thailand ambivalence toward Cambodia. If Thailand and Cambodia can seize the encouraging environment, a more bilateral relationship is certainly within their reach. As already mentioned above, the border conflict between Cambodia and Thailand was not only a border conflict between both countries but also a regional security issues on ASEAN countries, so a possible solution need to gain as quickly as possible. Therefore, these two countries tried to cooperate with ASEAN, UNSC and ICJ to solve the border conflicts.

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References

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http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Thailand-Cambodia-agree-to-strengthen-cooperation--30274410.html

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http://www.worldpress.org/Asia/1010.cfm

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[1] http://global.britannica.com/biography/Norodom-Sihanouk (accessed June 7, 2016)

[2] Raymond, Greg. 2014. “Thai-Cambodia relations one year after the ICJ judgement” (La Trobe University)

[3] Pratruangkrai, Petchanet. 2015. “Cambodia agree to strengthen cooperation in trade and investment”

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Thailand-Cambodia-agree-to-strengthen-cooperation--30274410.html (accessed June 7, 2016)